Societys and Political Influence in the Life and Work of William Shakespeare

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Society’s and Political Influence in the Life and Work of William Shakespeare

Introduction

Though a famous man and celebrity, little is known about William Shakespeare’s private life. He was supposedly born on April, 23 1564 and according to the records from Holy Trinity Church, he was baptized on April 26, 1564. This was during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth II and King James I and events such as Spanish armada defeat, discovery of Gunpowder plot and Execution of Guy Fawkes and when European explorers brought wonders from other lands (Williams, par 10-15).Supposedly people believe that most of his family members must have been Catholics including his mother, father and daughter Susanna. He is regarded as the greatest English language writer and the most distinguished dramatist in the world due to his proficiency in writing poems and plays (Best, p 1-5).

He was born to John and Mary Shakespeare as the third of eight children. As a son of a merchant and alderman father and a daughter of a rich landowning father he had a chance to attend a Parish school for his education. He however had his schooling in a free grammar school in Stratford is what led to some of his accomplishments as a playwright. This is despite the fact that he did not reach university level in his schooling which stirs a lot of discussions on the genuineness of his writings which at times are thought to have been written by others. His education though not clearly outlined can be regarded to be solid and quality proven by the degree of literary quality exhibited by his works. Though not confirmed his knowledge of Latin and classical Greek are a great support to this fact (Presley, par. 1-5)

Influences in his Life and Work

Although some people may argue that Shakespeare’s work was not influenced by the politics of his day, there are various proofs that link his writings to his life with regards to society and politics. Since he started his works early in his life in 1589, with his first published play: Henry VI part II which appeared in 1594 it suggests that he incorporated the history of earlier times in his works and that his works are up to date and shaped by the history of his own times. This may include his disappearance from Stanford to London between 1585 and 1592 where his activities are only speculated could have contributed immensely to his work. This transitional life between the various worlds he lived in: that of metropolitan London, small town and rural England, theatre and that of craftsmen and shepherds influenced his writings which encompass both country and city lives (Best, p 5-10).

Shakespeare began his theatrical career during the reign of James the VI and I when the royal family was so much into theatre. According to (Mclean par. 1-5), he is said to have loved plays and hence provided more support than Queen Elizabeth, his predecessor as he had a great interest in how theatre boosted his political career. This was of great significance to him as it was beneficial to his company. With the immediate benefits of such support as a result of exclusive rights that were offered to the King’s servants who became the King’s men, there was a rise in social status in the acting profession where those involved became gentlemen. There was also reliable support and court performance that ensured steady pay for the actors as a result of the royal approvals when times were bad for the theatre.

The words “What, hath your grace no better company?” found in act three in King Lear that are used by Gloucester to greet Lear is a good example of the type of association that took place between the king and the responsibility of The King’s Men as his assistants. Shakespeare uses this to remind his audiences how the monarchs require their followers support for proper function, similarly to the way the King’s Men need his support (Mclean, par. 1-5).

The writing of The Winter’s tale is inspired by the granting of a coat of arms to John Shakespeare who was regarded as a family patriarch approved on the grounds of John’s great grandfather’s faithful and approved service to Henry VII. Religiously, most of his plays such as Prince of Denmark reveal that he believed in a supreme being. Furthermore some exhibit the fact that he was a catholic symbolizing the influence of his religion in his works (Cummings, par. 1-5).

The history of England portrays a bad feeling between the Jews and Christians due to their difference in religion. Jews were additionally viewed as outsiders and were denied entry in some professions which only Christians joined such as the artisan guilds that allowed them to own land. This is because the Jews were not citizens and belonged to a different religion therefore were left with few means of earning a living.

Throughout history, Jews have been labeled negatively by a large number of Christians in Europe. Although there may not have been Jews living in England during Shakespeare’s time, these myths and stories of historic times may have influenced his writing about them in the Merchant of Venice which is another good example of a controversial storyline. This is where he focuses on the conflict and prejudice experienced throughout Elizabethan times against the Jews. With the Jew portrayed as of bad character in the story as Shylock and the rich money lender, it clearly elaborates how Christians treated the Jews whom they thought were inferior due to their religion villain…..(Chciuk, par 1-5). Shylock in return gets motivated by the persecutions he has endured.

The Elizabethan times provide the major foundation for Shakespeare’s writings. This is due to the religious tension created at a personal level within subjects as a result of Queen Elizabeth’s tolerance to indistinctness. He exhibits this kind of tension in most of his works.

He is thought to have borrowed some of his plots from other earlier authors similarly to other playwrights. Although most stories are founded on already existing stories like Romeo and Juliet which is borrowed from the poem The Tragical Historye of Romeos and Juliet by Albert Brooke, he gave them new life (Williams, par 10-15). The writing of this story was majorly influenced by religion and individualism as he neither attacks the catholics or protestants. The greater social structure used in his writings are in a smaller perspective represented by family structures. He writes this play to condemn the senseless and far-reaching actions of the youth. This is despite the fact that at this time the older people had learned to live together almost peacefully.

It is speculated that the story Hamlet may have been caused by the death of his son Hamnet or that of his father. This is because the story is mainly based on a feeling of revenge and deep loss as is portrayed by Hamlet; the Prince of Denmark who kills his uncle Claudius believing that he is the one who poisoned his father. However the conflicts in this book are strongly related to those found in Elizabethan times which are therefore a great influence of his works. One of these conflicts is the maintenance of one’s identity shown by the two sides exhibited by Hamlet (Imran, par.1-5).

While working in London, some people thought he was crazy whereas religious fanatics known as Puritans who eventually closed down his theatre when they came to power (Best, p 5-10), challenged him since they thought that plays were a sin and regarded stage plays as an influence of corruption. However, the support he got from James VI provided protection from such opponents (Barroll, pp. 441-446).

In conclusion, besides family and religion, it is the political environment that mostly contributed to the ideas and themes expressed by William Shakespeare in his works

Works Cited

Barroll, L. A new history for Shakespeare and his time. Shakespeare Quarterly

39( 4 ). (Winter, 1988), pp. 441-464.

Best, Michael. Internet Shakespeare Editions, University of Victoria: Victoria, BC, 2001-2010.

<http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/>. Accessed 18th March, 2011.

Chciuk, T. The influence of medieval mystery cycles on the Merchant of Venice.

2009. par. 1-5 < HYPERLINK “http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/venice/papers/tchciuk.htm” http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/venice/papers/tchciuk.htm> Accessed 19th March, 2011.

Cummings, J. William Shakespeare: A Short Biography. 2003

<http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xbiography.htmlhttp://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xbiography.html .> Accessed 18th March, 2011.

Imran. The Literature Network: Hamlet. HYPERLINK “http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/” http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/

Accessed 19th March, 2011.

Mclean, R. James VI and I and his Patronage on the Arts.

< HYPERLINK “http://www.britaininprint.net/shakespeare/study_tools/patronage.html” http://www.britaininprint.net/shakespeare/study_tools/patronage.html> Accessed 19th March, 2011.

Pressley, J.M. Shakespeare’s Biography Shakespeare: Resource Centre .2011

Williams, L. Who Influenced William Shakespeare? 2011.

< HYPERLINK “http://www.ehow.com/about_5398264_influenced-william-shakespeare.html.” http://www.ehow.com/about_5398264_influenced-william-shakespeare.html.> Accessed 18th March, 2011

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